Last season: The Warriors ultimately overachieved when all was said and done in 2013, getting to the second round of the playoffs and taking the eventual Western Conference champion Spurs to six games before their season was ended. For a sixth seed entering the playoffs with just 47 wins and having to go through the team that finished with the best home record in the league in the Denver Nuggets, it was a bold step forward for a club full of young talent.

Signature highlight from last season: It’s tempting to give Harrison Barnes the nod here for his incredible dunk over the Timberwolves’ Nikola Pekovic, but Stephen Curry’s breakout season was the main reason for his team’s unexpected level of success. As a result, enjoy the 54 points Curry dropped on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, even though the scoring barrage came in a losing effort.

Key player changes: Golden State landed a big-name free agent in Andre Iguodala, who would appear to be a perfect addition to the club on both ends of the floor. But they lost a couple of key role players in the process.

IN: Iguodala, who the team signed to a four-year, $48 million free agent contract. Marreese Speights was signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, Jermaine O’Neal and Toney Douglas are in place on one-year deals, and Nemanja Nedovic was Golden State’s first round pick in this summer’s draft.

OUT: Jarrett Jack is gone, signed by the Cavaliers in free agency. Carl Landry signed a multi-year deal with the Kings, and seldom-used Richard Jefferson, Andris Biedrins, and Brandon Rush were all traded to the Jazz in a salary dump to clear enough cap space to land Iguodala.

Keys to the Warriors season:

1) Integrating Iguodala: Andre Iguodala is an interesting player, in that he’s one of the more well-respected wings around the league who can impact the game more on the defensive end of the floor than with his scoring. The Warriors were good but not great in both categories last season — 10th in the league in offensive efficiency, 13th in defensive efficiency. Iguodala should help in both areas, and whether he or Harrison Barnes is the one relegated to the second unit, the team should see an immediate impact made by both players in their new roles.

2) Replacing the depth that’s departed: Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry both left in free agency after playing key roles for the Warriors a season ago off the bench. Jack was often times on the floor playing crunch-time minutes in three-guard lineups alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He averaged almost 30 minutes per game, and it’s unclear at this point how those minutes will be distributed this season. Landry, meanwhile, played all 82 last year and averaged 10.8 points and six rebounds in 23.2 minutes per contest.

Barnes or Iguodala anchoring the second unit will replace a good portion of that production, but there’s still a void that needs to be filled there if the Warriors are going to exceed what they achieved last year. Kent Bazemore and Draymond Green may be pressed into greater roles, and whether or not they’re ready for them may partially determine how the team fares.

3) Curry making the leap to superstar: There’s no question that Curry is coming off of a breakout season, taking the crown as the game’s purest shooter with very little resistance. He averaged close to seven assists per game, too, but may have to up his production in that category even more for his team to continue to thrive, while cutting down on the turnovers as head coach Mark Jackson suggested this offseason.

Curry is poised to make the projected leap, and if he does so as expected, the Warriors’ unique collection of talent will be even more trouble for teams to stop.

Why you should watch: The aforementioned Curry is becoming a must-see player, and he along with Klay Thompson make for one of the more exciting backcourts in the league from a long-range shooting perspective.

Prediction: It took 56 wins a season ago just to make it to fifth in the Western Conference by the time the playoffs began, and if that’s the case again, it’s tough to see the Warriors finishing much higher than the sixth spot they earned last year. But this season more than most, playoff seeding won’t matter all that much in the West, where the top six teams can all make a strong preseason case as to why they should be favored to finish at or near the top of the standings.

Golden State has some interesting pieces in place, but there are questions surrounding Iguodala’s fit and whether or not they’ll be able to replace the bench production that was lost. A playoff berth seems like a lock; beyond that, we’ll have to wait and see.

You probably answered “the Clippers.” Most fans do. So do most NBA referees — And everyone else. Which is why after a recent loss to Golden State, veteran Marreese Speight (a Warrior last season) pointed to the Clippers complaining about the officiating as part of the problem.

He went on to say that the scouting report is you can get in the Clippers’ heads by knocking them around a little. Which seems pretty obvious when you watch teams play them. Shockingly, Clippers coach Doc Rivers disagrees with that. Via NBCLosAngeles.com.

“The officiating thing, I don’t think, is our issue. I will say that,” said Rivers about the technical fouls. “If that were the problem, then, Golden State would be struggling. They’ve been No. 2 the last two years in techs, too. I think we need to point fingers in another direction than that.”

Doc may not like it, but Speights is right.

The Warriors do complain too much, but they also have a ring so more is forgiven. The problem for the Clippers is that reputation for complaining starts with Rivers — he complains as much or more than any coach in the league. Then it filters down through Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

Is it fair that more is forgiven with winning? Moot question. Welcome to America. The Clippers complain a lot and have yet to get past the second round with this core. And at times there standing there complaining to the referees does get in the way of them getting back into defense, and they seem to go in a funk.

The Pelicans are disappointing this season — it is Anthony Davis vs. the world down there. Which is the main reason they are 7-16 this season. While things have gotten better since Jrue Holiday‘s return, Davis is averaging a league-best 31.4 points per game, it then drops off to Holiday at 15.4, and then E'Twaun Moore at 11.1.

When a team struggles, usually that is a bad sign for the coach. Not because it’s always their fault, but because GMs choose not to fire themselves for poor roster construction. Which leads to the question: Alvin Gentry, are you concerned about your job? (Warning, NSFW)

New Orleans’ struggles are not on Gentry, certainly not completely. He’d like a roster that can play uptempo, that has depth. What he got instead was a good point guard, an elite 4/5, a rookie in Buddy Hield that maybe pans out down the line, and then… nada. And the roster Gentry has often is banged up.

If anyone is in trouble, it is GM Dell Demps. Remember, Danny Ferry was hired last summer for the vague role of “special advisor.” Gentry is in his second year, and the issue is the roster he was given. But the Pelicans are a patient organization that values continuity, so… who knows. But the clock is ticking on Davis;, it’s years away, but the Pelicans need to build a team around him and are far from that right now.

Jones told the Beacon Journal he will retire after next season, which will be his 15th in the NBA. His ultimate dream is to ride off after three consecutive championships in Cleveland

“I know playing 15 years is a number where I can look back and I can be like, ‘I accomplished something,’ ” Jones said. “Fourteen vs. 15 may not be much, but to be able to say I played 15 years, that’s enough for me to hang ’em up.”

Jones’ contract expires after the season, so the Cavs will have a say in whether he returns. Safe to say if LeBron wants him back, Jones will be back.

But the Heat got into trouble relying on washed-up veterans around LeBron, wasting valuable roster spots on players who could no longer contribute.

Is that Jones? Not yet. Though he’s out of the rotation, he has still made 11-of-12 open 3-pointers this season. There’s a role for him as spot-up shooter when Cleveland needs one.

Still, the Cavaliers ought to be mindful of Jones’ likely decline over the next year and a half. Plus, it’s not a certainty he holds to his timeline. Cavs veterans have a history of changing their mindon retirement.